A case study of Asian dust storm particles: Chemical composition, reactivity to SO2 and hygroscopic properties

Mineral dust comprises a great fraction of the global aerosol loading, but remains the largest uncertainty in predictions of the future climate due to its complexity in composition and physico-chemical properties. In this work, a case study characterizing Asian dust storm particles was conducted by multiple analysis methods, including SEM-EDS, XPS, FT-IR, BET, TPD/mass and Knudsen cell/mass. The morphology, elemental fraction, source distribution, true uptake coefficient for SO₂, and hygroscopic behavior were studied. The major components of Asian dust storm particles are aluminosilicate, SiO₂ and CaCO₃, with organic compounds and inorganic nitrate coated on the surface. It has a low reactivity towards SO₂ with a true uptake coefficient, 5.767×10^-6, which limits the conversion of SO₂ to sulfate during dust storm periods. The low reactivity also means that the heterogeneous reactions of SO₂ in both dry and humid air conditions have little effect on the hygroscopic behavior of the dust particles.